St Mary's Hospital celebrates quality success

Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, St Mary’s Portsmouth has received confirmation of its continued accreditation from the Joint Advisory Group (JAG) for excellence in endoscopy services - a procedure used in patient diagnostics. This important recognition follows a successful annual review and reflects the centre’s commitment to delivering high-quality, safe, and compassionate care to its patients.

JAG is the UK’s leading accreditation scheme for endoscopy services. It sets rigorous national standards across patient experience, clinical safety, training, and leadership. The latest review confirms that the endoscopy service at Practice Plus Group Hospital, St Mary’s, Portsmouth, continues to meet and exceed those benchmarks.

The accreditation follows the centre’s recent Care Quality Commission (CQC) rating of ‘Good’ in March. As well as being rated ‘Good’ overall, it also achieved individual ‘Good’ ratings across all five key inspection areas - safe, effective, caring, responsive and well led. The report praised staff for their personalised and respectful approach to patient care and noted examples of outstanding practice, including the endoscopy service, which was highly regarded for its leadership, quality and well trained teams.

Commenting on the hospital’s continued achievements, Kathy Lloyd, Hospital Director at Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, St Mary’s Portsmouth, said: “The hard work of every team member has been outstanding. This recognition is a testament to the passion, professionalism and dedication of our staff. JAG accreditation is not just a mark of quality, it is a reflection of the trust patients can place in us. Coupled with our recent CQC ‘Good’ rating earlier this year, it reinforces our goal to provide excellent care, every day, to every patient.”

Among those to benefit from the surgical centre’s quality care and short waiting times is local Derek Toms, 78, a school crossing patroller, who had been struggling with increasing pain from a hernia for nearly four years and feared there would be long delays if he sought treatment. He said: “I’m so glad I went to see my GP in the end. He took one look at the hernia and referred me straight away. I was lucky to be referred to Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, St Mary’s Portsmouth, right opposite where I work. The whole experience was fantastic. I’m now pain-free, back on my feet and doing the job I love. The staff there were brilliant and I’d recommend the centre to anyone.”

Practice Plus Group Hospital, St Mary’s, Portsmouth - which celebrates its 20th Anniversary this year - offers a comprehensive range of treatments for both NHS and private patients including endoscopy tests, eye surgery, urology, orthopaedics such as foot and ankle or hand and wrist surgery, colorectal and general surgery including hernias. Current waiting times are just two weeks for cataract surgery, two weeks for general surgery, four weeks for endoscopy, and eight to nine weeks for orthopaedic surgery and urology surgery. It also offers patients access to urgent and emergency (minor injuries and minor illness) care in its modern, purpose-built Urgent Treatment Centre (UTC). .

Practice Plus Group Surgical Centre, St Mary’s, has significantly lower waiting times for NHS surgery than other healthcare providers in the area. Many NHS patients in England don’t realise that they have a right to choose which healthcare facility they are treated at under NHS ‘patient choice’ – even if it’s not their nearest hospital.

For more information about services or referrals, visit: www.practiceplusgroup.com